


soft animal

by Ghovls



Series: i see the moon [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Flashbacks, Imperial!Prompto, M/M, MT!Prompto, Magitek!Prompto, Porn With Plot, Science Experiments, killing animals??? but nothing too graphic....
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2017-03-28
Packaged: 2018-10-12 00:38:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10478148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghovls/pseuds/Ghovls
Summary: (Set in the same verse as Come Around Sundown, around chapter 6, just after noct gets ramuh's blessing. I'd recommend reading CAS in order to understand the flashbacks! Otherwise, have fun with sex and violence... and taking photos of the catoblepas!)





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ImmisImm](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImmisImm/gifts).



> I'm gifting this to ImmisImm who has been so dang supportive of my shitty writing.
> 
> This is unbeta'd and I still... want to get better at writing smut, tbh. I'm practicing.

Prompto knelt on the hard ground, shifting his weight. Armoured pads strapped to his knees kept him relatively comfortable in the dirt, but he was getting a bit stiff from holding still for so long. He exhaled deeply, his breath coming warm and visible in the crisp morning air. It was mid-spring, but Gralea was so far north and altered so much by the dead Glacean's presence that snow still dotted the mountainous region near the small village he'd been patrolling. Prompto would have liked to think that routine patrols were above his pay grade, but it wasn't as if he was actually getting paid. Despite all this, he was grateful for the time alone, the early dawn and golden light streaming through the evergreens. Somewhere nearby, thawed snow trickled between rocks to form a bubbling stream, the sound was soothing-- it wasn't often he got to spend any time outside in the wild.

New treatments at the medical ward had him out and about more often, participating in military drills, falling in with the ranks. When he was permitted to leave the compound, he tried to be a good soldier. He liked spending time with civilians, it warmed him to know that the presence of soldiers in their towns and settlements made them feel safe. So, Prompto couldn't deny a request from the farming settlement nearby to take out a herd of Spiracorns that'd been grazing on their crops. It was already difficult enough to grow food in the tundra and mountain regions that made up the country, and so it was adding insult to injury to have a herd of spring colts gobble up painstakingly grown food.

Prompto eased his grip on the rifle, cocking it before checking the scope. The sound of distant birds chirping, the babbling stream, and Prompto's even breaths were swallowed by the vast, rocky walls reaching heavenward on all sides. The soldier felt... safe here in the quiet, though he supposed it was ironic seeing as he'd brought a weapon into this otherwise undisturbed scene. He was an intruder here, unwelcome and tainted.

The sound of hooves had Prompto's attention. He straightened his spine and leaned forward, eying the moving herd through the scope. They came into the clearing with the sound of shuffling foliage in their wake. Two adults and three foals trotted into view, leaving prints in the shallow snow. Prompto watched in silence as they bent their necks to the ground, pressing their muzzles to the white, pushing it aside to graze the first of spring's offering.

Maybe he'd watched for too long, but something about the prancing foals on stilt-like legs unhinged his nerves and scrambled his focus. It seemed wrong to shoot something innocent. As the small herd grazed, Prompto thought about how these animals were just doing what they needed to in order to survive. Then again, if those farmers back at the base of the mountain couldn't grow crops, then their families would starve. It was all about survival, in the end. Strong animals killed the weaker ones, predators eliminated prey, no matter how docile. He had a rifle, so he supposed that once he made the first shot, the rest of the would scatter. He could either spend the afternoon tracking down all five Spiracorns, or just hope that one shot would scare them off. With a roll of his shoulder, Prompto pressed his eye to the scope again. He watched the golden rays of sun shimmer off the largest beast's horn, taking a moment to appreciate it before he took the shot.

* * *

From the edge of the haven, Prompto could spy the Catoblepas wading around Alstor Slough through the scope of his viewfinder. The sun was starting to set, and it was too far away to get a good shot anyway, but maybe he'd make Noctis come out with him in the morning to get a closer look. Ignis and Gladio had been giving the prince a lot of flak about his sleeping habits lately, and as amusing as it was to Prompto, a part of the soldier had to side with them. Besides, he'd get some time alone with Noctis and Prompto couldn't think of anything he'd rather have right now, especially after their run-in with Ardyn at the Disc of Cauthess.

He couldn't believe that together they had felled a God.

“Hey, Prompto.”

Gladio's deep voice pulled the soldier from his camera, he looked over his shoulder and up at the bigger man, offering a crooked smile before moving to stand. “Hey,” he replied.

“Iggy's just about done with dinner, c'mon back.”

Prompto pocketed his camera and nodded. Sure enough, the smell of grilled meat wafted in his direction. “Nice,” he said, following Gladio back to the fire so that he could join the rest of the prince's entourage and their chocobos.

“Hey Noct,” he asked at night, after Gladio and Ignis had gone to bed. “Will you help me out with something in the morning?”

* * *

Picking his way back to the village for patrol wasn't difficult, he'd plotted a route up and he'd followed it back down. He'd learned back at the base that Spiracorn horns could be refined into powerful weapons, and so he'd run with instinct and decided that it would be best not to waste, balancing his trophy on his shoulder with one hand while the rifle bounced gently against his spine.

His radio buzzed, and so Prompto reached for it with a gloved hand and spoke into the receiver.

“This is Zero-two, zero-four. I read you. Over.”

Pausing on the rocky slope, the soldier waited for instruction, not surprised that he was being called back to the base. Excursions hardly lasted long in his case. While he exchanged words with command, Prompto's eyes wandered across the rocky expanse, fixating on spring's first flowers. Fragile, pastel-coloured wilt pushing through snow with surprising resilience.

* * *

“Where are we going, anyway?”

“To the slough, to shoot a catoblepas!”

Noctis didn't look impressed. Prompto watched him shift from one foot to the other, slouching and crossing his arms over his chest. His expression was still heavy with sleep, but he found it all the more endearing, even as he sighed, “...With my _camera_.”

* * *

Prompto made his way back to the Garrison within the hour, flashing his barcode at the gate and dropping off his spoils at the armoury with minimal flourish. “Enjoy,” he teased, lip curling into a rare, but playful smirk. He was turning to leave when the armourer scoffed, and Prompto turned to acknowledge the sound.

“Aren't you Besithia's kid?” The soldier asked.

Prompto's grin faded and his blue eyes narrowed some. “What if I am?” he asked.

“Uh. No reason. Just wouldn't have expected... Never mind.”

Prompto's shoulders slumped and he shook his head. In the Garrison, there were hardly any secrets. Any soldier that wasn't Magitek practically lived in each other's pockets during training exercises, packed into bunks and eating scheduled meals together. To Prompto's chagrin, anyone who paid attention knew he was sick, knew that he was excused from certain drills for classified trips to the medical ward.

“If you had any respect, you'd refer to him as the commander,” Prompto replied flatly.

After checking his weapons, Prompto wandered to the medical ward.

* * *

“We're gonna need to pick some mushrooms first. The big guys can't get enough of them.”

“Listen, Prompto. I don't know what they teach you in the Empire, but I don't--”

Noctis was silenced when Prompto leaned forward, silencing him with a quick kiss. “Mushroom picking takes a fun guy, Noct.”

“You're... not even listening,” Noctis mumbled against Prompto's lips, reaching for his wrist to tug him closer, thinking that maybe they could waste the morning like this instead of going out on a suicidal photo-op. Prompto was faster, however and wriggled away from Noct, slipping from his grip and bounding off, away from the haven. The prince heaved a sigh, but knew he was powerless to deny Prompto and his exuberance, especially after what had happened at The Disc.

Noctis found Prompto crouched in the grass and dirt, hands shoved into the deep green while he foraged like some kind of little animal.

  
“Here's one,” he announced, holding up the truffle like a trophy. “Find another one, Noct. Then we should be good to go.”

“We're gonna have a close encounter of the catoblepas kind...!”

* * *

Prompto took a deep breath, chewing incessantly on the inside of his cheek after he lie back. He did his best to relax, to let them move his limbs and fasten the restraints.

“How've you been feeling?” A formless voice asked. Prompto hadn't realized that he'd closed his eyes, but even as he answered the question, he didn't feel like opening them just now.

He took a breath. “I was in the field for six hours today with no problems,” Prompto reported quietly, feeling as if he was speaking to an empty room.

“And you took on a hunt for a local?”

“Ye- yes, sir. A herd of Spiracorns.”

When there was no reply, he took that as an invitation to continue. “The hunt was successful, and I brought back materials to the armoury.”

“How did it feel?”

“S-sorry? Uhm.” Prompto stumbled, unsure of the right answer to such a question. Beneath the tightened restraints, he shifted somewhat and his fingers curled slightly when he felt the sharp tip of a needle slip easily beneath freckled skin, taking up familiar residence there. How did he feel? Prompto tried to think back, finally opening his eyes and staring up at the grey ceiling. In his peripherals, doctors bustled and machines blinked steadily. More monitors were attached to his skin, the feeling so routine that it was almost comforting. Every time he went under, he hoped that maybe this would be it. This was the procedure that would fix him. Cure him.

“Bad?” Prompto hazarded. “I mean, at first... but then when I thought about it more, I realized that there wasn't any point in feeling bad about it. They were impacting the lives of citizens and I have the obligation to serve the empire, and its people.”

Again, the soldier was greeted with silence, save for the beeping of machines.

“...Sir. Where's my father, the commander?”

“Zero-two, zero-four,” the doctor rattled off Prompto's number and then announced the date, the time, and the number of their session here.

His vision blotted with black and for a moment, it was difficult to breathe.

* * *

“Alright, so. I need you to stand right here with the mushrooms. You lure him in, and I shoot.”

In the morning light, Noctis bewildered expression was just as beguiling as Prompto had expected it to be. He couldn't help but grin, taking another step back towards the slough and crushing dew-damp grass beneath his boots. “It should be easy for you, right?” he charmed, lifting a brow as he goaded the prince.

“Yeah, easy to get my ass killed.”

Prompto watched as Noctis eyed the great beasts warily, but he hardly gave him a chance to linger before tugging him towards the water's edge.

“C'mon, take the shot.” Noctis' moody tenor was kind of cute.

“Not yet.”

“It's getting kinda _close_.”

“...”

“Prompto!”

Adjusting his focus ring, Prompto brought the viewfinder to his eye, shouting for Noctis to pose before he pressed down on the shutter button. After the click, he grinned and pocketed the device, hardly watching as the prince sped past him and to safety. Instead, Prompto eyed the great beast, staring it down on instinct, suddenly feeling irrational and irate, territorial of the space he and Noctis were taking up and angry at the animal for encroaching on it.

Baring teeth, he fought the twitch in his fingers and the urge to reach for his weapon. The earth shook as the catoblepas took another step forward, the rumbling enough to pull Prompto back to reality and tear him away from the scene. He ran after Noctis, his anger transforming into gleeful adrenaline. He whooped and shouted as he sprinted, laughing all the way to the prince's side.

“What're you laughing at?” Noctis looked positively distraught. “I could've died!”

“But we got the perfect shot, and had ourselves some crazy fun,” Prompto practically sang, slipping his arms around Noctis' waist and sinking his teeth into his shoulder, getting a mouthful of cotton and muscle beneath it.

“Don't start with that,” Noctis scowled, exasperated. Yet, he leaned back into the touch and covered Prompto's hands with his own.

“Should've seen your face,” Prompto rumbled, moving his mouth to Noctis' neck and tasting the salty skin there instead. “Should've snapped that instead...”

* * *

“Someone get the commander in here!”

Prompto wrenched his arm out of the doctors' grip and snarled, baring teeth and whirling around on the closest one, hands at his throat, fingers squeezing, thumbs pressing into soft, yielding flesh. There was something satisfying about it, the sound of a useless body being slammed onto the operating table, of looming over helpless prey, the desperate flex of dying muscles beneath the pressure of his fingers. He let up only to grab a scalpel from the nearby tray, riding out this high and inhaling as he shoved the blade into softness. Prompto inhaled the violence, the carnal desire to win. The blood spattered across his skin was warm, alive, delicious. Yes. This was it. This was what he needed. This was the key to his survival. Disease, blight, whatever it was called pumped through widened veins, rushed in his ears like the stuttered gurgling of his victim.

* * *

“What's gotten into you?” Noctis laughed, letting Prompto drag him away from the campsite and to the Regalia, parked just a short distance away from where Gladio and Ignis still slept in the tent. “How the hell are you even like this so early?”

Prompto shrugged, mashing his lips to Noctis' in reply as the prince reached behind him for the door handle. The two of them tumbled into the back seat eventually, and Noctis' hands were already clawing at their clothes once they were safe behind tinted windows and a sheltering roof.

It was a bit of a scramble to get naked, but soon enough their clothes were bundled on the floor and draped over the front seat. Noctis had reached into his pants pocket early enough to pull out a little bottle of lubricant, which earned him a click of his teeth from Prompto.

“I'm not the only one,” he purred, delighted that he and the prince were on the same wavelength this morning.

“We hardly get time alone,” Noctis explained, arranging himself beneath Prompto so that the soldier could settle on his lap. “Have to be prepared.”

Nocts' hands moved from Prompto's shoulders to his waist, then around to grab at his ass. He dipped his head, curling himself in the confined space so that he could catch one of Prompto's nipples between his teeth, tongue flicking to tease the pink skin.

A whine spilled from Prompto's lips between heavy breaths and he started to move, grinding his hips and reaching to steady himself with one hand on the fogged window. “Mmhm,” he moaned out, closing his eyes and arching his spine, letting Noctis' shower his freckled skin with much-deserved attention. The feeling that had stirred in him was both welcome and frightening, Prompto having come to terms with the idea of needing Noctis physically since they'd first fooled around in Lestallum-- he'd never thought about anyone that way before, and was almost scared at the thought of being this addicted to touch, to the feeling of flesh on his own, to indulge in something insatiable that had been building inside of him ever since he could remember. There was something wrong with him, he knew. There was something starving inside of him that even Noctis, the prince of Lucis couldn't sate, but for now it was enough. For now he granted himself this small permission and sank his fingers into soft, deep black. He pulled on Noctis' hair, tugging him away from his heaving chest and bringing him into a bruising kiss.

“You wanna ride me, babe?” Noctis exhaled, matching Prompto's ferocity with his own and sinking his teeth into the soft flesh just beneath his jaw. Prompto answered with a grunt, his fingers scrabbling for purchase on pale, sweat slicked shoulders.

* * *

Prompto paled, standing in his father's office and holding the crimson envelope he'd been given in thin, spidery fingers. He clutched the documents close to his chest as if he was afraid they weren't really there, as if this whole proposal was a joke.

Blue eyes darted from Verstael's face to that of Chancellor Ardyn Izunia's, who stood behind his father's wing-backed chair with a bothersome smirk on his lips. He watched his father fold his bony fingers atop the polished desk while he cleared his throat.

“Zero-two--”

“Sir, are you sure,” Prompto interjected before Verstael could finish, unmoved by his own father using a number to call on him instead of any given name. The soldier still held himself at attention, his free hand remaining painfully still at his side.

Instead of the commander's voice, Ardyn's smooth baritone floated into the stuffy space between them, warm and coddling as if to ease the tension between an estranged father and son. “We can't send simply _anyone_ to escort Prince Noctis,” he insisted. “Especially not Magitek Infantry. Surely you understand why, and how... delicate the situation is. _Peace_ relies solely on the Prince's safe voyage to Altissia. Solely on your shoulders, dear boy.”

Peace was a difficult concept to believe in when the word was spoken by someone such as the chancellor. Since he'd arrived here, things had changed. His father, the emperor, the soldiers, even Prompto. Still, there was nothing much that a mouse could do against a snake aside from be small and quick enough to stay clear of his jaws.

“If you'd rather decline the mission...” Verstael spoke up again, and this time he moved to stand. Prompto watched as he rounded the desk, realizing now that this was the closest his father had ever been to him since he was very, very young. For a moment, their gaze met and Prompto shook his head before raising his right arm in a salute.

“No, sir. I accept. For the glory of the empire.”

When his father nodded to show his approval, Prompto's chest clenched with a desperate longing, his stomach turned with fluttering nerves.

“Good.”

Prompto held position as his father moved past him, his robes billowing with the motion, cloaking him in glorious red and white. Then, he was alone in the briefing room with Ardyn, who bid him at ease and took his turn approaching.

“Think of it,” he hissed, lips much to close to Prompto's ear. The soldier seized up, sensing something dark and... familiar radiating off the mysterious chancellor's skin. “How proud you'll make your dear daddy. A _hero_ in the eyes of the Empire.”

Prompto frowned, dropping his head even as Ardyn ruffled his hair in an almost playful way. It made Prompto sick, the way he moved and spoke, how he seemed to know exactly what buttons to push.

“Look sharp, Zero-two.”

“...Yes, sir.”

Once Ardyn was gone, Prompto could breathe. Dazed, he wandered across the briefing room. He left the folder on the desk as he moved to the window, drawn there by moonlight, feeling it humming in his blood. _The prince of Lucis?_ For a moment, he let the pale glow cover him, bathe him in a soothing light. It was bizarre to think that a _prince_ stood under the same blanket of stars as he.

* * *

Prompto trembled, panting loudly into the shell of Noctis' ear, one leg folded awkwardly beneath him. Their sweating skin stuck uncomfortably to leather upholstery, but that didn't stop Prompto from moving, Noctis desperately bucking up to meet him. His fingers, like claws dug into the prince's back, keeping him impossibly close even as Nocts' head thunked against the dampened window.

“Wanna come,” Prompto babbled, mouth wet and pleading, tasting salt. He took his pleasure ruthlessly, one hand moving to press against Noct's chest, trapping him against the door as he set a faster pace.

Noctis groaned, dazzled by the display of force, white and colour bursting behind his eyes. They weren't going to get anywhere like this, folded awkwardly in the backseat. He couldn't deny Prompto anything. Not the stupid stunt with the catoblepas, the way he insisted on snapping photos of the four of them during every waking moment. There was no way he'd deny him the most delicious of pleasures, especially not if he could be a part of it. Deciding to take the lead, Noctis pressed his fingers into jutting hipbones and tight muscles, guiding Prompto off his aching cock and helping him turn over. “Just like that, Prompto. Good,” he praised, grabbing his hips once more and shoving back in, sighing as he was met again with tight, wet, heat.

One hand closing around the back of Prompto's neck, the other holding him steady by the hip, Noctis fucked whatever other pleading little noises bubbled up his tender throat.

Prompto was clawing at the Regalia's locked door when he came, crying out into sticky, damp leather and feeling his orgasm rock every inch of his body. It came through him in waves, overpowering even the feeling of Noctis' climax, the soldier only remembering his presence when he felt two fingers dip into the yielding warmth of his mouth, delving with an air of possession, a noise of exhausted approval from above when Prompto started to suck and lick.

* * *

Cleaning up the Regalia had been less than fun, and Prompto pretended to be too sore to do any of the real work.

The sun still climbed steadily in the sky, and Ignis would be up soon to start breakfast. While they made their way back to camp, Prompto glanced down at the LED on his camera, grinning stupidly at the photo of the catoblepas and Noctis' ridiculous pose.

For some reason, he thought about the spiracorns, their horns glimmering in the sunrise. The memory was both sweet and upsetting, so he pocketed his camera and hung back for a second to ponder his guilt, only stopping when Noctis turned, boots crunching in the grass.

“Prompto. C'mon. Hurry up.”

Noctis' eyes glimmered in the sun, too.


End file.
